Craft Circle March

Craft Circle February

Creative Perspectives with Ferne Jacobs

This small group workshop will be for anyone who has taken beginning fiber techniques previously. Those who have learned weaving and off-loom fiber techniques from other teachers are welcome. The intention is for students to be working on a piece of their choice or starting one from scratch. The group will discuss creative approaches for pushing the piece forward and each person will receive individual attention.

Ferne will work with students for the day, advancing the skills from various techniques the students have already learned. Basic technique will not be taught. Discussion and exploration of the creative process and development of forms will be the focus, expanding the technical knowledge already gained.

Students will provide their own materials.

The workshop fee is $125.00. Limit of 9 students.

Parking: Since most of the parking in the area has a two hour limit, the most convenient option is to pay to park at the Beverly Connection less than a block west on W. Third Street. Handicapped parking is available behind Freehand.

Beginning Off-loom Fiber Techniques with Ferne Jacobs

This one-day workshop will be a quick introduction to three off-loom fiber techniques: knotting, twining and coiling. It will be a time for playfully exploring the basic attributes of each technique. Students will create a sample comprising all three techniques, gaining a beginning knowledge of each one. The sample can then serve as a reference for ensuing projects. The outcome will be both informative and exploratory.  

Students provide: Scissors, repair or tapestry needles, a macrame or foam core board (12” x 12” x .5” or larger/thicker), and T-pins. Optional: yarn or cord (3-ply or more) from your own collection. Further details and links provided with sign up.

Workshop fee: $150; the prime cord will be provided.

The workshop has reached capacity. Please email rsvp@craftinamerica.org to be placed on a waiting list.

Layered Leporello Book Arts Workshop with Victoria May

Use the modular folded structure of the Leporello format to create an accordion book with layers, windows and pop-ups.
Explore telling a story or creating a mood through structural shifts in the treatment of the paper and pages. Explore translating abstract concepts into visual motifs that transition over the course of the pages. Use easy and fun techniques like stenciling, rubbing and collage to embellish your book with texture and imagery.

Students provide: X-acto knife and blades, scissors, glue stick and self-healing cutting mat (or sturdy cardboard sheet).

Workshop fee: $80, includes paper, adhesive and other supplies.

Victoria May uses fabric and stitching as the basis for mixed-media sculpture and installation that address the tenderness and absurdity in the human condition. She is an avid advocate for material re-use and for the recognition of the beauty in the ordinary. 

May received her MFA from San Jose State University and her BA from UCLA. She received the Santa Cruz County Rydell Fellowship and was named an Artist Laureate by Silicon Valley Creates. She has had residencies in Los Angeles at the Camera Obscura Art Lab and Art Share LA

May has worked as an art instructor at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County in person and remotely for over 20 years. Beyond Cabrillo, she has taught several workshops, most notably at UCSC, Penland and the Oregon College of Art and Craft.

Creative Perspectives with Ferne Jacobs

This small group workshop will be for anyone who has taken beginning fiber techniques previously. Those who have learned weaving and off-loom fiber techniques from other teachers are welcome. The intention is for students to be working on a piece of their choice or starting one from scratch. The group will discuss creative approaches for pushing the piece forward and each person will receive individual attention.

Ferne will work with students for the day, advancing the skills from various techniques the students have already learned. Basic technique will not be taught. Discussion and exploration of the creative process and development of forms will be the focus, expanding the technical knowledge already gained.

Students will provide their own materials.

The workshop fee is $125.00. Limit of 9 students.

Parking: Since most of the parking in the area has a two hour limit, the most convenient option is to pay to park at the Beverly Connection less than a block west on W. Third Street. Handicapped parking is available behind Freehand.

Knotless Netting with Annette Heully

Learn all about the knotless netting process. This hand weaving technique uses simple knots, loops and a needle to shape a flexible netted structure around almost any form. Learn the knotless netting process by making your own net around an object you bring to the workshop.

The workshop fee is $70 and includes materials.

Parking: Since most of the parking in the area has a two hour limit, the most convenient option is to pay to park at the Beverly Connection less than a block west on W. Third Street. Handicapped parking is available behind Freehand.

Annette Heully, an internationally exhibited artist, earned her MFA from California State University at Long Beach with an emphasis in Fiber. She received her BA from San Francisco State University with an emphasis in Textiles. She was awarded the Public Installation Grant from Fiber Art Now magazine and is featured in the Winter 2023 issue. She was the Artist in Residence at Taft gardens in Ojai, and at the Llewellyn Gallery in New York. She was a recipient of the Marilyn Werby Scholarship as well as the School of Art nominee for the Bergeron Award for Distinction in the Arts. She has over twenty years weaving experience, which not only include her artistic practice, but also production weaving for fashion and interior designers. She has taught in many different contexts; with individuals, in small workshop settings, and at the university level. She currently lives and works in her home town Ojai, California.

Craft Circle December

Beadwoven Ropes with Mara Colecchia

This workshop teaches the creation of playful beaded ropes that can be worn like lariat necklaces, knotted on one’s décolleté. Colecchia will demonstrate three specific tubular weaving techniques: Chenille, Peyote and Cubic Right Angle, as well as how to transition from one to another. Colecchia will discuss her beading style, showcasing different types of lariats, to stimulate a creative and personal approach to the classic beaded rope.

Students will complete their work at home, with the help of the printed instructions provided by instructor.

Some experience required: Basic beading or stitching skills are required and advanced beginners are welcome.

Workshop fee is $160 and includes all materials.

Born and raised in Italy, Mara Colecchia (Maracole Bijoux) graduated in Rome with a specialization in Drawing Animation and game design from IED. She worked in the animation industry till 2008, when she took the chance to relocate to Los Angeles, with the aim to consolidate her career in children’s entertainment. Instead, she started making visual art and exhibiting her work in local galleries, specializing in Pop Surrealism. Colecchia experimented with many mediums until she discovered seed beads. Since 2019, Maracole Bijoux, a line of high end handwoven jewelry, is her main endeavor. She has exhibited her work at The Smithsonian’s Craft Show and her collections have been featured in magazines dedicated to art and fashion.

Workshop fee is $160 and includes all materials

Parking: Since most of the parking in the area has a two hour limit, the most convenient option is to pay to park at the Beverly Connection less than a block west on W. Third Street. Handicapped parking is available behind Freehand.

Craft Circle November